


Tennessee Whiskey

by Yellow14stoner



Category: Yellowstone (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 05:01:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26900107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yellow14stoner/pseuds/Yellow14stoner
Summary: Beth is planning her wedding.
Relationships: Beth Dutton/Rip Wheeler
Kudos: 17





	Tennessee Whiskey

*I DO NOT OWN YELLOWSTONE OR THE SONG TENNESSEE WHISKEY BY CHRIS STAPLETON!

*I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND HAVE ONLY BASIC MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE!

*THIS STORY TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE. AS SOON AS I HEARD THE SONG, I KNEW I WANTED TO GIVE IT TO BETH AND RIP. I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT! 

It was a beautiful fall day on the Yellowstone ranch. The leaves of the trees were changing colors, the air was fresh and crisp, and the men and women of the land went about their business, happy to be alive.

In the house across the field, Beth Dutton sat inside amongst piles of magazines, lists, and binders. Her laptop was open to a popular bridal site and there was a pretty love song playing in the background.

On the sofa, Beth herself was snuggled up with a cup of coffee, listening to the song. Some days, she couldn’t believe she was breathing let alone planning her wedding. On other days, when the pain was particularly bad, it was hard to believe that Beth was engaged at all.

Since the incident at her old office, she had been restricted to her home while her various wounds healed, physical therapy was completed, and the people responsible were dealt with. To pass the time, she alternated between taking care of the ranch business and completing nuptial tasks.

She was surprised to find that she was enjoying the planning and often had to remind herself that she deserved the good in her life. The majority of her life had been nothing but pain and trauma. Both of which she believed she had earned one way or another. 

Starting all the way back when she was a kid, the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death and the direct involvement she played in it had shaped her character and ruled her decisions from the day it happened. It turned her hard, unfeeling, and callous in ways that the majority of people weren’t, especially women.

Years later, a poor decision to trust her brother ended up haunting her for what will be the rest of her life. That one event in time, mapped out the course for the rest of their relationship and unfortunately it could never be righted. Some days she regretted this outcome but more often than not, the thought or sight of Jamie made her burn with a hatred that she’d yet to imagine for anyone else.

The death of her brother, Lee was ill-timed and served to cast another shadow across her father’s heart and add another layer of self-preservation over his emotions. Of course, she was saddened at his passing too but Lee was also a foreign subject to her. They had not been close, Hell she barely knew him. The gap in their ages was significant and by the time she came along, he was so far into working the ranch that there wasn’t much time for getting to know a baby sister.

Last year, her attack by the Beck Brothers was the most terrified that Beth could ever remember being in her life. She was damn proud of how she handled herself and came through it though. That particular trauma may have served as a turning point of sorts for the cold-hearted woman she had grown into. She was still crass and uncaring but she’d also allowed love into her heart. Or she had accepted it, she guessed it had always been there.

Rip Wheeler, her fiancé, even the word made Beth smile like a school girl with her first crush, but he had saved her in more ways than one and he had been doing it since they’d met as kids. Mostly he saved her from herself but he’d literally saved her from Becks’ goons and most recently, from the crazy ordeal at her office.

She still couldn’t believe that she’d been blown up. How many people could say that? She also couldn’t believe she survived it. The men who had pulled her from the rubble were sure she’d die. They rushed her limp and broken body to the nearest hospital, dripping blood with every second that passed. Once there, physicians had set to work patching up the quilt-work of injuries that she had sustained. 

After Rip had been contacted as next of kin, thank God she’d changed that after the Beck's, he’d rushed to the hospital to wait by her side. Doctors did what they could but blood loss was significant and they’d idly mentioned wishing they had the O- blood to transfuse what she’d require to survive. As luck would have it, Rip had just what she needed. 

He donated bags of blood to her over the next few weeks and slowly but surely she was on the road to a full recovery, albeit a long one. 

Sitting in the living room of Rip’s home, Beth looked around and smiled to herself. She had made the most of her downtime and was pleased with her decision to convalesce here with Rip instead of the lodge. 

In the weeks since her release from the hospital, she had supervised the moving of her belongings into the house and enjoyed watching Rip configure furniture in arrangements that they both agreed on. She shopped online to fill their home with touches that suited their lives together and he was happy to enjoy the experience with her. He had solely helped with her bandages, bathing, and general care as she had refused home nursing and he never made her feel less than the most important thing in his world. In a word, he had been everything. 

Coming back from her musings, Beth focused on the next song starting to play from her laptop. On this particular day, she had spent hours composing lists of traditional “first-dance” songs and crossing them off for one reason or another after she’d listened to them. Nothing seemed to convey the significance of the love and devotion between the Yellowstone's most loyal daughter and ranch hand.

Most of the songs were too fucking cheesy and sentimental to apply to their first official act as husband and wife. Love-at-first-sight scenarios and can’t-live-without-yous made her want to vomit. She slammed the top of her laptop down in disgust as the first sounds of Olivia Newton John's ‘I Honestly Love You’ poured out. 

Beth threw the blanket covering her lap over the back of the couch and stood to check on dinner. She had a pot of chili simmering on the stove and she would pop the cornbread in the oven as soon as Rip got home from work.

Just as she reached the kitchen, the front door opened and her favorite cowboy walked through it. He stopped at the threshold when he spotted her and chuckled.

“Damn woman, I cannot get used to having you waiting for me at the end of the day but I sure do love it.” He closed the door and strode over to her.

She was waiting for his greeting at the end of the bar. Standing there in a loose fitting pair of sweats and a flannel button down shirt, Beth knew she looked like she had just rolled out of bed but the way he smiled at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

He gently placed his arms around her waist and bent to capture her lips in a sweet kiss hello.

“How was your day, darlin?” He asked. 

Beth sighed, still in the circle of Rip’s big, strong arms. 

“Better now baby. I was just going to pop the cornbread in the oven. Do you want a beer?” 

At Rip’s nod, Beth moved to the refrigerator. She grabbed him a can and opened it. She allowed herself one pull from it as she wasn’t allowed to mix pain medications with alcohol before she handed it to Rip. He accepted the can and switched on the radio that sat on the kitchen counter.

Beth sighed loudly as the first strains of a new song began playing. Rip looked up and raised his eyebrow at her questionably. She wasn’t ordinarily annoyed by the radio, in fact it played more often than not. 

“Oh, its fine Rip. I’ve just been listening to love songs all day long trying to find one for the wedding and nothing fits us.”

Rip stood and came around the counter to place his arms around her again. He took one of her hands and raised it to hold between their bodies as he gently began to sway her.

Used to spend my nights out in a barroom  
Liquor was the only love I've known  
But you rescued me from reachin' for the bottom  
And brought me back from being too far gone

“We have quite a few months before the wedding hunny. Something will catch your attention. B'sides, I don’t care what we dance to s'long as I’m the one holding you.” 

He kissed the top of her head and softly sang the lines of the chorus into her hair.

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey  
You're as sweet as strawberry wine  
You're as warm as a glass of brandy  
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

Beth smiled up at Rip as he continued to hum the song. When had his attentions for her changed her life’s outlooks? When did a simple conversation with him start to fill her with the warmth of a whole bottle of whiskey? When had she begun to crave this man’s touch more than her next drink? 

I've looked for love in all the same old places  
Found the bottom of a bottle's always dry  
But when you poured out your heart I didn't waste it  
'Cause there's nothing like your love to get me high

Beth moved to wrap both of her arms around Rip’s neck and he adjusted to gather her even closer. She sighed as she settled further into his embrace, euphoric at the total feeling of peace his love brought her.

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey  
You're as sweet as strawberry wine  
You're as warm as a glass of brandy  
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

As Beth listened to Rip sing the chorus of the song a second time, she suddenly stopped dancing and slid her hands down his arms.

“Beth? What’s wrong?”

“This is it.” She motioned to the radio that was still playing the Chris Stapleton song.

He looked around the room, confused before he asked, “What’s it darlin?”

Beth smiled softly as the song continued to play. She slid her arms back up around his neck but continued to stare into his eyes. When the last chorus started to play for the song on the radio, she shyly sang the words back to Rip.

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey  
You're as sweet as strawberry wine  
You're as warm as a glass of brandy  
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

“This song is exactly how I feel for you, baby. I’m addicted to the way you make me feel, to your love. You found the real me and you pulled me in from the cold. I want to be here, like this, for the rest of my life, with you.”

Rip’s eyes were suspiciously damp as Beth described her feelings but he never let a tear fall. Instead, he reached up to caress her face, just under the scar below her eye. He dipped his head to capture her lips in the most tender of kisses. When they parted, their foreheads remained touching and their eyes were closed.

“Looks like you found our song, hunny.” He whispered.

A single, happy tear slid from Beth’s closed eye as she nodded against her fiancé and then they danced in the kitchen until their cornbread was finished.

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey  
Tennessee whiskey  
Tennessee whiskey

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey  
Tennessee whiskey  
Tennessee whiskey


End file.
